How’s it goin’? Flobo here with my weekly update.
Today I want to talk to you about editing your work, specifically those of you that are planning on releasing eBooks in the near future. For those of you that are not, maybe you can pulling something out of today’s post as well.
If this is your first time stumbling onto my blog you may not know that I am an independent author. The word independent comes from the Latin phrase Indious Pendeante, which means “incredibly poor”. Anyway, my first two collections of short stories:
and 
…were released through those “big box” self-publishing houses you see advertise so heavily on the Internet. On one hand I was grateful I worked with them, especially at a time where I was ignorant of the technical/business/marketing aspects of writing. On the other hand, I knew that at the end of the day I was was getting a raw deal. (Remind me to go into that story into greater detail one day) So much so, that my third book (and first novel) went directly to the eBook format.
For the foreseeable future, I plan on sticking with the eBook format even though I have plans of going back to physical copies at some point in the future. This fall I plan on releasing a new volume with it being my last collection of short stories in the eBook format, so of course there are many electronic versions backed up on various computers and hard-drives. I’m currently in the editing phase and even though I plan on having other people look at it, last weekend I took myself down to the Staples Print and Copy Shop (because I refuse to go to Kinko’s ever since they told me they go by “Fedex Office” now) and printed out a hard copy.
That’s right. A hard copy of an eBook. Why? I find that spelling errors jump out at you more when you have the book in your hand. While it was a bit of a rush to have a STACK of pages bound by brads filled with something you wrote (that wasn’t a dissertation or thesis), I was a man on a mission. Why? Because I plan to sit down and go through it with a red pen.
Growing up, I used to hate to get a test or term paper back filled with red marks. If I did poorly, it would look like teacher bled out all over the page. However, I feel that this self-inflicted wound has to happen to make the best possible product. It is like quality control at a factory. It is your job to make sure your eventual customers don’t end up with Grade F meat or clothes that rip when they try to put them on. Folks are plunking down their hard earned cash for your work, it’s your job (especially if you want to be taken seriously) to give them something worth paying for.
–Flobo
As for the new book itself, all I can say is stay tuned for updates. I will be releasing the title and cover art in the weeks to come.
Flobo Boyce 